It may have been an accident that <a href="http://inhabitat.com/power-flower-wind-turbine-trees-could-domesticate-wind-energy/">NL Architects'</a> latest project resembles the shape of the alien space ships from the classic video game <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Invaders" target="_blank">Space Invaders</a>, but we're gonna chalk it up to good design. NL Architects worked collaboratively with a number of other firms to design a housing project for Gapyong, outside of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/seouls-new-mind-bending-undulating-tower-by-architectenconsort/">Seoul</a>, South Korea, and the Dutch firm's houses are a series of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/rathaus-terraces-mixed-use-development-for-medieval-german-city/">terraced apartments</a>. Hoping to provide density, but also yard space for every home, one apartment is stacked on top of another with green roofed decks, resulting in a profile eerily similar to that of the pixelated space invader.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

NL Architects was asked by Yo2 to join forces and work on a proposal for a residential development in the city of Gapyong, which is outside of Seoul.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

While Yo2 worked on the masterplan, NL Architects along with MSA (Marina Stankovic), CAT (Kazuhiro Kojima), Unsangdong (Joon Gyo Jan), and FOA (Alejandro Zaera-Polo) worked on an array of housing types for a hill slope overlooking a valley on the North Han River.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

The goal of the project was to create an environment that can serve as an alternative for the typical housing block - something that still retained density, but also provided a more suburban lifestyle.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

The solution NL Architects came up with was to stack one apartment on top of another in ziggurat fashion to create terraces.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

One apartment takes up the whole bottom floor, with the second apartment taking the second and third floor.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

The bottom apartment serves as the base for the top apartment'sgreen roof terraces providing both apartments with views, a yard and their own private space.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

From the side, because of the massing, window placement, and terraces, the duplex looks exactly like a space invader.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

As NL’s Kamiel Klaasse tells Co.Design, “It is the result of our programmatic analysis, a logical outcome of the requirements and restrictions.”

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

The masterplan for the housing project shows a series of homes built into the side of a hill.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

Each firm designed a different style of house for an area.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

The floorplan of each duplex.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

The stepped homes cascade down the hill.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

Cross section into the terraced duplex.

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Space Invaders-NL Architects

It may have been an accident that NL Architects' latest project resembles the shape of the alien space ships from the classic video game Space Invaders, but we're gonna chalk it up to good design. NL Architects worked collaboratively with a number of other firms to design a housing project for Gapyong, outside of Seoul, South Korea, and the Dutch firm's houses are a series of terraced apartments. Hoping to provide density, but also yard space for every home, one apartment is stacked on top of another with green roofed decks, resulting in a profile eerily similar to that of the pixelated space invader.